SEPTEMBER 26

I have several request for you today....

1. Please pray for Gary.  He has not been feeling well this week and has had to cancel the three physical therapy sessions.  His eyes are painful and the right one continually tears.  He is just experiencing extreme fatigue and a general feeling of malaise.

2. We also need to you pray for our son-in-law, Andy Wileman.  This week, he received the news that he has melonama.  They will be doing further testing to find out the extent of the cancer.  As you can imagine, this is hard on our daughter Becky and her kids, after going through it with Gary.  Andy is a policeman for Collinsville, OK.  We are praying that this has been caught early before it has spread to lymph nodes or organs.

3. And last, for me. I will be seeing a specialist on Tuesday and will need to have surgery on my rotator cuff. I am having a hard time dealing with the thought that I will be unable to help Gary for a time period.  There is never a good time for surgery, but with Gary feeling so bad this week, I really am dreading it.

I appreciate your prayers!  It is so wonderful to be connected to believers all over the world that know the importance of prayer! What a comfort.

ANSWERED PRAYER

God answers prayer. Sometimes it is not the way we may expect or want, but He does answer according to His purpose and will for our lives.

A month ago, I asked you to pray for Zac Smith (see in archives). He had been diagnosed with stage four cancer and had been undergoing chemo treatments. To most of us and even medical doctors, his prognosis did not look good.

Today, halfway through his proposed treatment plan, Zac heard the news that he is FREE of cancer! His doctor said he had never seen anyone react to the treatments like this. All because of the thousands who lifted Zac up in prayer! You can read here Zac's own words on his wonderful news.

I can rejoice with Zac, his wife, parents and sister so much more, understanding what those few words meant to us when we heard them such a short time ago. Thank you for praying for Zac and thank you for continuing to pray for Gary.

SEPTEMBER 13

This weekend marks the one year anniversary since Gary received his diagnosis of cancer. As many of you know, Gary had been ill for a long time before doctors had figured what was causing his pain and paralysis.

Today, at our sending church, Lifepoint Baptist in San Angelo, TX, Gary was able to preach for the first time since April 08. This was a very momentous and emotional day for Gary. He loves preaching and has missed doing it this past year and a half.

He told me this weekend that he was nervous about preaching because he was not sure if he would be able to. Partially because it had been so long since he had been behind the pulpit, but also because the paralysis that he still has on the side of his face sometimes affects his speech.

I told him that Lifepoint was the perfect place to do this for the first time, because the members would be listening to him with ears of love. It would not matter to them if he preached the same as he had done in the past.

Gary was very emotional after the services today. Being a preacher has been his life and he loves it more than anything. He told me he was just so happy to be back at it. If you would like to hear his message today, you can go here , click on video for the September 13th service.

God has been so good to us to give Gary the opportunity to continue serving Him. We appreciate your prayers! We know he would not have been here today without them!

NATHANIEL IS HOME!

Thank you so much for your prayers! Nathaniel came home from the hospital today! I was pretty emotional tonight, thinking how just a few months ago, we did not know if Gary would be able to see Brian's son come into the world, and now Gary was able to spend the day holding and talking to this precious blessing! God has truly blessed us!